 
|
|
 |
|
So Alone
by Sire / London/Rhino
| List Price: |
$15.98 |
Unavailable for
purchase at this time |
|
Audio CD
Publisher: Sire / London/Rhino
Format: Original recording remastered
Johnny Thunders's principal solo claim to fame, So Alone consists of Dollsy covers (the Shangri-Las' "Give Him a Great Big Kiss," the Chantays' surf chestnut "Pipeline," even the Dolls' "Subway Train") and gems of self-piteous wretchedness like "Leave Me Alone" and "You Can't Put Your Arms Round a Memory." The memory of what Junkie Johnny had been before heroin was almost enough to make So Alone a poignant experience--almost, but not quite. Oh, and "London Boys" was Thunders's sneering putdown of the London punk fraternity, several of whom (Steve Jones and Paul Cook, among others) are playing on the album. --Barney Hoskyns
| Customer Reviews: |
|
| |
| SO GOOD |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
 |
|
OK, one thing off the bat - while this may be listed as "Original Recording Remastered" here on Amazon, keep in mind the remastering was done in 1992, so you won't get the same level of remastered sound that is the standard for the 2000s - it's a muddy and very quiet mix (nothing the volume knob can't fix). That said, if you like the Dolls, Heartbreakers, Exile-era Stones, 60s girl groups, surf guitar, New Yawk punk (yes, I know this was recorded in London...), oh hell, just good old straight-up rock -n- roll, then you won't be disappointed with So Alone. Highlights include the instrumental Pipeline; (You Can't Put Your Arms Around A) Memory; Great Big Kiss; Daddy Rollin' Stone, (She's So) Untouchable; Dead Or Alive; and if you're familiar with the Sex Pistols' New York, London Boys will amuse. Actually, 4 stars (I got a little carried away there - 5 stars for classics and this falls a little short).
|
| A spectacular record and a sad reminder |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
Within every punk/loser/ne'er do well is a heart of gold. So we've learned from countless soap operas and trashy novels. But is it just a cliche? In Johnny Genzale's case, it was very true.
Beneath JT's "couldn't care less" exterior was one sweet guy. A hell of a great guitarist, a terrific songwriter, and a guy with a great record collection. First the covers: a very hot "Pipeline" that opens the album, The Shangri-La's' "Give Him a Great Big Kiss," a holdover from his Doll days, "Daddy Rollin' Stone," an ill-fated Supergroup summit with Phil Lynott (RIP) and Steve Marriott (RIP.) For good measure, he does two Dolls songs, "Subway Train" and "Downtown."
The originals are astounding: "London Boys" with Steve Jones and Paul Cook, "Ask Me No Questions," "Leave Me Alone," and of course, "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory." The album title "So Alone" is of course wrong, because anyone who heard these songs would have wanted to give Johnny a great big hug and tell him "you're not alone."
JT is also capably backed by members of the Only Ones and Chrissie Hynde.
JT lived a decade longer, sometimes clean and sometimes enslaved by heroin. He recorded over that period, but nothing comes close to this album. It's a damn shame what drugs have done to some of the most talented people in our lifetimes.
|
| junkie paradise |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
 |
|
Gee, I wonder what was going on with Thunders, Phil Lynott and Steve Marriot in the studio together? It's a miracle this record was ever completed. This is the best Thunders solo album. Approach all the others with caution. They all have some good songs but if you're not a fanatic, you can skip most of them. You need to have this one fo sho!
Check out Mighty High...In Drug City. Thunders lived in the same zip code.
|
| So Alone |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
Johnny Thunders-So Alone *****
It's dirty, it's raw and naked, it's strung out, and yet it is absolutly amazing and cool. From that sentence you wouldn't know if I was talking about the album or Johhny Thunders himself. Well I guess I mean both. This is concidered Thunders' best solo album out side of The New York Dolls and The Heartbrakers, and rightfully so because it is his best.
The sound and feel of the songs is still very New York Dolls, which is fitting for each song, and with a heavy New York/Joey Ramone accent his vocals are fantastic. With three cover songs, all of which sound like New York Dolls songs, and one if which actually is. The Shangra-la's 'Great Big Kiss' is perfect, opening with a "when I say I'm in love you best believe I'm in love L-U-V" rip off. The Chantays surf instrumental 'Pipeline' opens the album feriously like the crack of the seal before the first sip from a bottle of whiskey. Finally the Dolls cover 'Subway Train' which appears on the bands infamnous debut, but which I think Johnny does better with on his own.
Other gems such as the albums stand out track, the sentimentle 'You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory' and 'Ask Me No Questions' are some of his most inspired. 'Daddy Rollin Stone' a Dolls song which never made it to release was here with Thunders, Phill Lynot of Thin Lizzy and Steve Marriot of Humble Pie all sharing vocals. Not only his this on of Thunders' best tracks, but slightly haunting as the subject matter mirrored that of all three vocalist who would all be dead in the nearing decade. 'London Boys' a slamming of the british punk camp, which Thunders helped to create, and the irony is that almost every one who plays on the song were involved in it, like Steve Jones for example. The swaggery '(Shes So) Untouchable' is next to 'Memory' the very best song that Thunders ever penned. With great sax work and a solid back beat this early '60s esque love song is really untouchable.
Four bonus tracks are available on some versions of the album. 'Dead Or Alive' 'Hurtin' the should have been title track 'So Alone' and 'The Wizard.' All four of which would have made this a five star album. You see the only reason this is given a Five star rating by me is the addition of these songs, because with out them I would have only rated this a four star, which is still solid.
So Alone was released just as The Heartbrakers began to fissle out. They were reduced to playing only a hand full of gigs here and there and just when they needed money to support their drug habbits so Thunders bailed leaving yet another one of the greatest bands of all time behind, that being his second, and embarking on a patchy solo career. up until his death in '91 that was in one way or antother brought on by his use of Heroin he continued to release albums of dirty sleazy rock and roll just like this one, but So Alone remains the truest to form rock album Johnny Thunders ever released in his solo career.
|
| How do you stretch 23 songs over eleven albums |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
 |
|
I love Johnny Thunders, it wasn't until after he died that I realized that he was the most talented of the Dolls, and I loved the Dolls and saw David Jo a million times solo or as Buster. So this has unique cuts of Subway Train and You Cant put your Arms round a Memory...and a unique cut of So Alone, but I keep buying these albums and have six versions of Pipeling. Okay, it's all good; he should've been talked about in the same sentence as the rest of the guitar gods. Too bad
|
Pipeline - Johnny Thunders, Carman, Brian
You Can't Put Your Arms Round a Memory - Johnny Thunders, Thunders, Johnny
Great Big Kiss - Johnny Thunders, Catside
Ask Me No Questions - Johnny Thunders, Thunders, Johnny
Leave Me Alone - Johnny Thunders, Thunders, Johnny
Daddy Rollin' Stone - Johnny Thunders, Blackwell, Otis
London Boys - Johnny Thunders, Lure, Walter
(She's So) Untouchable - Johnny Thunders, Thunders, Johnny
Subway Train - Johnny Thunders, Johansen, David
Downtown - Johnny Thunders, Johansen, David
Dead or Alive - Johnny Thunders, Thunders, Johnny
Hurtin' - Johnny Thunders, Paul, Henry
So Alone - Johnny Thunders, Thunders, Johnny
The Wizard - Johnny Thunders, Bolan, Marc
|
